We've now reached the dog days of August in the MLB season and we've got plenty of data to give us an informed look at the current MLB Cy Young odds races (as well as the MLB MVP odds and Rookie of the Year odds).
Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara remain the favorites by relatively wide margins in their respective races.
Here's a look at the latest odds to win the respective Cy Young awards in the 2022 MLB season.
Odds to win AL Cy Young award
| Pitcher (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Verlander (Astros) | -155 |
| Dylan Cease (White Sox) | +300 |
| Shane McClanahan (Rays) | +650 |
| Shohei Ohtani (Angels) | +2,300 |
| Alek Manoah (Blue Jays) | +3,200 |
| Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays) | +5,000 |
| Shane Bieber (Guardians) | +8,500 |
| Gerrit Cole (Yankees) | +10,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of August 9, 2022.
AL Cy Young favorites
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros (-155)
The American League now has a new betting favorite for the CY Young. Justin Verlander is still among baseball's best on the mound at age 39. The two-time Cy Young winner owns a league-best 1.73 ERA for the AL West-leading Astros. Verlander's strikeout numbers are down a bit from his career norm, but he's still pitching effectively while also suppressing the home run ball better than he has in ages.
He gives his team a chance to win every time he touches the mound and hasn't surrendered more than three runs in six straight starts. If Verlander wins the Cy Young, it'll be just the third time in Astros' history one of their pitchers has been honored with the award — Verlander (2019) and Dallas Keuchel (2015).
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox (+480)
Sitting in the second spot is the Chicago righty, who has been one of the few bright spots for an underwhelming White Sox team. In 22 starts, Dylan Cease stands with a 12-4 record and sports a 1.98 ERA over 122 2-3 innings. In his last five outings, Cease has gone a perfect 5-0 while surrendering just two earned runs, helping boost his odds to +300. In fact, he hasn't allowed more than one earned run in an outing over his last 13 starts — the longest such stretch since earned runs became a counting stat in 1913.
Dylan Cease has now allowed 1 ER or less in 13 straight starts! ???? pic.twitter.com/hIVXvkl5Yp
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2022
Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays (+210)
Shane McClanahan has been mostly great this season, providing the Rays with plenty of quality innings. He sits 10-5 with a 2.24 ERA and a very impressive strikeout count of 161 in just 128 1-3 innings. He was the betting favorite to win the AL Cy Young for much of the season, but he's hit the skids a bit since the All-Star break. The lefty has allowed 11 earned runs in 17 2-3 innings over his last three starts while striking out 14, which sits below his usual rate. There's very little margin for error, and his stumble, however brief it's been, has allowed Verlander and Cease to leapfrog him.
Odds to win NL Cy Young award
| Pitcher (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sandy Alcantara (Marlins) | -240 |
| Corbin Burnes (Brewers) | +800 |
| Max Fried (Braves) | +1,700 |
| Zack Wheeler (Phillies) | +2,500 |
| Carlos Rodon (Giants) | +2,500 |
| Joe Musgrove (Padres) | +3,500 |
| Tony Gonsolin (Dodgers) | +3,500 |
| Max Scherzer (Mets) | +4,000 |
| Aaron Nola (Phillies) | +5,500 |
| Edwin Diaz (Mets) | +6,000 |
| Julio Urias (Dodgers) | +6,500 |
| Spencer Strider (Braves) | +8,000 |
| Logan Webb (Giants) | +10,000 |
| Tyler Anderson (Dodgers) | +10,000 |
| Yu Darvish (Padres) | +10,000 |
| Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) | +10,000 |
| Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) | +10,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of August 9, 2022.
NL Cy Young favorites
Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins (-240)
Alcantara is showing that you don't need to strike everyone out to be effective on the mound these days. The right-hander leads all pitchers with 158 1-3 innings pitched through 22 starts — the next closest is Aaron Nola with 144 2-3. Since May 11, a span of 16 outings, Alcantara has completed seven innings in all but two and has three complete games under his belt in that time (he also went nine shutout innings in a start vs. the Nationals that was ultimately decided in extra innings). He's 8-2 over that stretch and continues to pull away.
No Marlins pitcher has ever won the Cy Young and it's looking like that streak may finally come to an end.
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers (+800)
The reigning NL Cy Young winner is a distant second on the odds board, but he's still having a strong season leading Milwaukee's rotation. He's 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 175 strikeouts in 136 innings.
If he can mount a second-half surge, Corbin Burnes could join the likes of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw as a back-to-back winner over the last decade. But that would also require Alcantara to start showing some cracks in the armor.
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves (+1,700)
Max Fried continues to have a stellar season with the Braves and, like Alcantara, isn't overly reliant on the strikeout pitch (8.26 K/9). Fried is currently 10-4 on the season and has surrendered just six homers in 138 1-3 innings. After opening his season by allowing five earned runs on eight hits to the Reds, Fried hasn't allowed more than four in a single outing since — and he's only done that twice. Fried's got a 2.18 ERA over his last nine starts and has finished six innings in eight of those outings.
Previous Cy Young Award winners
Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL Cy Young Award, with Cleveland and the New York Mets each leading the way with three. Overall, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Youngs all time (12), followed by the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Mets with seven.
| Year | American League Winner | National League Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Robbie Ray (Toronto) | Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) |
| 2020 | Shane Bieber (Cleveland) | Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati) |
| 2019 | Justin Verlander (Houston) | Jacob deGrom (New York Mets) |
| 2018 | Blake Snell (Tampa Bay) | Jacob deGrom (New York Mets) |
| 2017 | Corey Kluber (Cleveland) | Max Scherzer (Washington) |
| 2016 | Rick Porcello (Boston) | Max Scherzer (Washington) |
| 2015 | Dallas Keuchel (Houston) | Jake Arrieta (Chicago Cubs) |
| 2014 | Corey Kluber (Cleveland) | Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) |
| 2013 | Max Scherzer (Detroit) | Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) |
| 2012 | David Price (Tampa Bay) | R.A. Dickey (New York Mets) |
Pitchers with multiple Cy Young Awards
There are 21 pitchers who have won multiple Cy Young Awards, led by Roger Clemens' seven trophies. Of those 21 winners, five are still currently active in the Majors.
| Pitcher | Number of Cy Young Awards (Years) |
|---|---|
| Roger Clemens | 7 (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004) |
| Randy Johnson | 5 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) |
| Steve Carlton | 4 (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982 |
| Greg Maddux | 4 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) |
| Six different pitchers | 3 |
| 11 different pitchers | 2 |
Understanding Cy Young odds
Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Shane Bieber looked to have the AL Cy Young locked up in 2020, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number.
- Shane Bieber -300
That means that a bettor in September had to wager $300 to win $100 by betting on Bieber. Before this year's race even began, every candidate had a (+) sign in front of their number.
- Gerrit Cole +850
With Cole's current odds, a bettor stands to profit $850 for every $100 wagered on him.
If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.
MLB Cy Young Odds
Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander is the solo betting favorite at -155 as of August 9.
Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara is the betting favorite at -240 as of August 9.
Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Robbie Ray (now with the Mariners) won in the AL while Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes won in the NL.
